12 HORSES 



hurried. Grooms also forget that young horses, 

 that have never before had physic, do not require 

 such a large dose as old stagers who have been 

 stabled for years. 



Unless your groom is very clever and experi- 

 enced, never allow him to give physic without 

 your order or that of the veterinary surgeons. The 

 latter are much too fond of giving medicine and, 

 like old-fashioned doctors, will prescribe a strong 

 dose before they even know what is the matter. 

 Aloes, I admit, are a very useful purgative, but I 

 am quite certain they weaken the stomach, and 

 the more frequently they are given the more fre- 

 quently will they be wanted. 



A horse in hard work will be all the better for a 

 little alterative medicine once a fortnight, but I know 

 nothing cheaper or better than the old prescription 

 of a teaspoon of sulphur and a tablespoon of saltpetre. 

 A lump of rock-salt in the rack is a good thing. 



The question of summering hunters has been 

 frequently debated without any satisfactory con- 

 clusion having been reached. I am quite certain 

 that putting a horse into a loose-box and leaving 

 him there without any exercise for two or three 

 months is bad. This plan answers well sometimes, 

 with a plentiful supply of green food and a small 

 allowance of corn, in getting the legs fine — a very 

 desirable end if you are a dealer, but I am sup- 

 posing that the animal you summer is to do hard 

 work in the winter. The horse that has been walk- 

 ing about all the summer without any weight on 



